Divert appoints new COO

Divert Inc., a West Concord, Massachusetts-based food diversion company, has appointed Bob Watkins to chief operating officer (COO).

Watkins joined Divert as the company’s chief information officer in January 2024. With a deep understanding of Divert’s solutions and vision, he will now drive operations while continuing to lead business technology. Watkins’ focus is on ensuring these two departments work seamlessly, prioritizing safety, customer service and efficiency, Divert says.

“Over the past year, Bob’s collaborative leadership has proven instrumental in driving Divert’s growth,” Divert co-founder and CEO Ryan Begin says. “In this new role, I am confident that Bob will continue to strengthen our operations, deliver better service to our industrial and retail customers and foster our safety culture companywide. We are well positioned as we scale our infrastructure to 30 facilities nationwide.”

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Watkins’ role at Divert builds on more than 30 years of experience leading business and technology across a range of industries, including medical devices, engineering and manufacturing. His prior roles include chief business and technology officer at Triumvirate Environmental, chief technology and supply chain officer of Surgalign and other executive positions with Smith & Nephew, Johnson Controls and GE.

“I’m honored to step into the role of COO at Divert,” Watkins says. “This is both an opportunity and a privilege to continue working alongside our team to strengthen our operations and support the company’s growth. We’ve made meaningful strides, and I’m excited to continue this work with our Divert team and our customers to drive even better outcomes together.”